ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 30 -- United States Patent no. 12,426,679, issued on Sept. 30, was assigned to NIKE Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.).
"Article of footwear with stacked forefoot bladders" was invented by Jeremy L. Connell (Portland, Ore.), Jason R. Meeker (Hillsboro, Ore.), Jason G. Petrie (Portland, Ore.) and Jacob Raymond Van Daam (Tigard, Ore.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An article of footwear has a sole structure that includes a foam midsole layer. A first forefoot cushioning component is secured to the foot-facing surface of the foam midsole layer in the forefoot region, a second forefoot cushioning component overlies the first forefoot cushioning component, and a strobel extends at least...